Picasso Your Pour: Why Parabolic Slopes Are Better For Latte Art

A cousin to our Joey Mug, Monty Milk Art Cup is our newest double-wall ceramic drinkware. While Monty can absolutely be home to brewed coffee—our [X] and [XF] Drippers fit perfectly on top of the latte and cappuccino sizes—the design features were specifically engineered for pouring beautiful espresso drinks. So what’s Monty’s secret? A hidden parabolic slope which helps you Picasso your pour by lifting crema to the top without disruption.

First, let’s breakdown the difference between a parabolic slope and a non-parabolic slope. Think back to your algebra days. The slope that’s hidden inside of Monty is similar to the graph created by a quadratic function. The U shape is a welcoming, gentle home for your freshly frothed milk. A cup or a mug with a non-parabolic slope often has sharp 90° or 45° angles. The care put into your milk is instantly mitigated by the hard bottom.

Now, let’s talk about the pour. Good latte art has strong definition with bright white milk and dark brown crema. Not so good latte art is often described by baristas as “blown out” because the white and brown mix together to form a lazy tan. To achieve this necessary definition, crema needs to be to lifted to the surface fully intact. This provides a solid canvas to draw on with your milk. The key to getting great contrast is steering clear of turbulence. If you’re pouring milk into a squared, non-parabolic bottom, the milk will inevitably crash into a wall or corner creating turbulence and disrupting the crema. However, if you’re pouring milk into Monty’s parabolic slope, the rounded bottom helps maintain surface tension until you are ready to break it up and start the lines for that beautiful inverted swan with a triple tulip head that everyone loves so much.

Apart from the parabolic slope, our product team kept cafés and baristas top of mind throughout the entire design process. The sizes—latte, cappuccino, cortado, and demitasse—were chosen specifically for espresso-based drinks. We also specifically designed these cups to be square on the outside for convenient stacking in cafés or on an espresso machine. The latte size stacks with the cappuccino size while the cortado stacks with the demitasse. Also, unlike our Joey mug, Monty is dishwasher safe.

Thanks to the very important parabolic slope, Monty is your canvas to Monet your milk. We want to see you van Gogh to town with beautiful latte art. Share your photos on Instagram andtag us for a chance to be featured!